Nitiwul knows better – Joyce Bawah hounds former Defence minister over Traore comments

Special Aide to President John Dramani Mahama, Joyce Bawah Mogtari, has criticised former Defence Minister Dominic Nitiwul over comments linking Ghana’s diplomacy to attacks in Burkina Faso.

Mrs. Bawah Mogtari said she was disappointed by the remarks, insisting that Ghana’s foreign policy must prioritise peaceful coexistence with neighbouring states.

“I have always said I believe in a Ghana where we can agree on certain things. That we should be able to live at peace with all our neighbours,” she stated on Starr Chat on Thursday evening.

The presidential aide argued that Mr. Nitiwul, as an immediate past Defence Minister, should appreciate the sensitivities surrounding security and diplomatic engagements in the sub-region.

“I wasn’t enthused by Honourable Dominic Nitiwul’s comments, especially because he is the immediate past Defence Minister. I’m sure he knows there is a lot of sensibilities involved,” she said.

Mr. Nitiwul, who is Member of Parliament for Bimbilla, had blamed the recent terrorist attack on Ghanaian tomato traders in Burkina Faso on what he described as the government’s posture toward Burkina Faso’s leader, Captain Ibrahim Traoré.

In an interview with Citi News, he questioned the decision to invite Captain Traoré to President Mahama’s swearing-in ceremony, suggesting the move may have sent unintended signals at a time when security in the sub-region remains fragile.

“The attackers knew these were Ghanaians, so why did they go ahead to attack them? They knew this was a Ghanaian-registered vehicle; they knew they were speaking English,” Mr. Nitiwul said.

But Mrs. Bawah Mogtari rejected attempts to link diplomatic engagement with responsibility for terrorist violence.

She maintained that Ghana’s current Republic, the longest in its history, was inaugurated under former President Jerry John Rawlings, who himself once came to power through a coup.

“We live in the longest Republic that Ghana has ever seen, yet it was set off with President Jerry John Rawlings, so I think that it’s not because someone is a coup maker that you will want to ostracise them,” she argued.

She added that international charters require leaders to maintain engagement with one another, stressing that exemplary leadership involves reaching out to neighbouring countries.

The exchange follows reports that at least 20 people were killed in the northern town of Titao, Burkina Faso, in attacks claimed by JNIM, an Islamist militant group linked to al-Qaeda.

Among the dead were seven Ghanaians described by Interior Minister Mohammed Muntaka Mubarak as “burnt beyond recognition.”

The victims were part of a team of tomato traders travelling on a supply lorry when they were targeted.

Ghanaian officials say road access to the area remains blocked, hampering evacuation efforts and preventing embassy staff from visiting the scene, as Islamist attacks continue in parts of northern and eastern Burkina Faso.